Fashion of an Olympic Proportion.

Friday night marked the beginning of the 2012 Olympics. The opening ceremony, held in the heart of London, was nothing less than spectacular. During the Parade of Nations, the part of the ceremony where each competing nation’s athletes walk in to the stadium with the nation’s flag, I loved seeing what each country chose to wear for their big debut. I think that the clothing says a great deal about each team and their attitude going into the games. While many teams wore some version of a track suit (boo Argentina), others stepped up their game to show the world that not only are they top-notch athletes, they’re well-dressed too!

Here are my three favorite opening ceremony outfits for 2012:

1) Brazil

This team had my favorite look of the night. I love combining fun and bright colors with darks and neutrals- it spices things up! The mix of the green and yellow skirts and pants gave the team that nice pop of color. Pairing the brightly colored bottoms with the navy blazer made them look professional but still fun and sporty. The patriotic scarf and athletic sneakers finished off the look, giving it the perfect balance between athlete and champion of dress.

-Google Images

2) Jamaica

When it comes to team uniforms, the key word is usually uniformity. Mexico tried to mix it up by giving their athletes a range of rainbow clothing, but they ended up looking less like an Olympic team and more like just a glob of people. What I liked about Jamaica was they had options, but within a certain range that still unified them. The black, yellow and green of their flag were very apparent in a series of jackets, skirts, pants and scarves. Some of the women wore black skirts while others had fun patterns. There were variations of jackets- some blazers and some a little sportier, as well as patterned scarves that some of the athletes used to complete their look. Lastly, I liked that the women wore black tights and nicer shoes because it made them stand apart from all of the sneaker-clad Olympians.

-Google Images

3) China

Conversely to Jamaica, China went with complete uniformity and, in my opinion, succeeded. The stark white pants and skirts with the boldness of the classic red blazers made the entire team of Chinese athletes look impressive. If you compare these uniforms to Japan’s, they are strikingly similar but what made Japan fade away and China stand out were the finishing touches. The scarves and ties added the right amount of yellow accent and the white, semi-casual loafers made the ensemble more fun and less serious. On top of all that, I was so impressed that the Chinese Olympians were waving UK flags while most countries carried their own. While not a piece of clothing, showing support of their gracious host nation bumped up the level of class of the entire team and earned them an A in my book.